A/N: Okay, here's the deal people. Skeletons is something I am struggling with at the moment and I've had this idea floating around in my head for a good while now, so (with some help from a very, very good friend- thank you Ylenia) I have mustered the courage to post it so...here it is.

Disclaimer: Definitely not the owner/creator of Glee. If I was things would be very different, and I'd be cowering from the angry fangirls. So yeah, not the owner, and I'm only saying this once people.

Warnings: Violence. Some gore (mild). Homophobia (mild). Other warnings may crop up as we go.

Big thanks to Ylenia for getting me to actually post this stuff, so this story is dedicated to you in all your wonderfulness. I love you! \(^_^)/

Father, please, don't make me go!" Kurt begged, eyes huge and terrified. "I've heard stories of that place: It's supposed to be dangerous! Filled with-with hate and evil and please don't send me there!"

"Son, you need to go. We need to stop Aladorn!"

"Then send our general!" Kurt protested. "Hell, send Matthias! Or-or the second general, if we must keep the first one here! He's a better fighter than I am! Please, Dad," The King winced. Kurt only called him that when he got really emotional. "I don't want to go."

"Why?" He asked, placing his hands on his son's shoulders. "You are one of the bravest people I know, and I am so proud that you're my son. Why don't you want to leave?"

Kurt hung his head. "Because if I go...how will I know if I have a home to return to?" He asked mournfully. The King flinched- he'd not considered that. "You and Mum will still be here...and I'll be there. And for all I'd know, you could both be..." Kurt choked off.

"Son, I'm sorry. But you need to go. Even if...even if your mother and I are no longer here when you return, you need to go. Simply so that, when you return, our kingdom has a king." Kurt's dad reasoned. "You are my son. I will miss you more than I could ever express. But we both know that you have to go. If I had any other choice, I would make it. But, I will not be sending you alone. Santana, and Brittany will join you. And you will have a platoon of your own." He held his son close. "I will always love you, my boy. But this is the only way."

Kurt sighed dejectedly, but hugged back. "I know. I just really wish it wasn't." He choked on a sob. "I'll miss you." He admitted.

"I'll miss you too." The King agreed. They pulled apart, Kurt wiping at his eyes. "I'll go and tell your mother." He kissed his son's forehead. "No matter what, everything will turn out okay Kurt. You'd best go and tell your friends what's going on." He advised. Nodding once, Kurt turned and fled, his cape fluttering as he tried to hold back more tears.

That night, after much careful planning and plotting, the royal family sent off their prince into the forest along with the mage and warrior who would stand by and protect him. Alongside them were a group of 40 who would travel to the Other World with him. Together, Kurt and Brittany opened the portal along with two other enchanters. It took a good few minutes of chanting, but a loud rip sounded and a huge glowing tear appeared in the very fabric of the world, glowing a vivid indigo. Brittany, Kurt and Santana all shared a look and, with one final sad glance at their homeland, stepped through into the unknown.

Kurt woke up with a groan, looking at his clock blearily. 5:25am. He sighed, but rolled out of the single bed in his basement. Looking around, he sighed sadly. He missed his old room, the one with beautiful oak panelling and a rich blue carpet, covered in a soft cream rug he could dig his feet into. Looking over at the single, he found himself wishing for the comfort of his four poster. Looking around, sombre, he got up and went to his bathroom.

Still had to deal with school after all.

Rubbing a hand over his jaw, feeling barely there stubble, he snapped his fingers with an eyeroll. The hair fell away from his skin, leaving it perfectly smooth as it fell into the sink, where he hastily lifted it up into the air and deposited it in the trash can without so much as a touch. He felt his ears, shuddering at the roundness despite having put up with it for years, and traced patterns on his face, poking. Years of having looked at the same features and it still didn't make it any less bizarre. Stepping into the shower to distract himself from his appearance, Kurt scrubbed himself clean, humming as he did so to try and dispel his homesickness. It always returned after sleep, in the moments between waking and sleeping where he'd convince himself he was where he belonged, only to be fiercely disappointed each time. Jumping out before he could wallow in his own private depression and self pity, he towelled dry and used a quick spell on his hair so it looked how he liked, giggling as tingles jumped across his scalp. Whilst brushing his teeth, he lifted a Broadway poster on his wall and scanned the map beneath it with a thoughtful expression before shaking his head, letting the covering image drop back down and hide it again, securing it both with blue tack and a tiny bit of magic. Brushing his hair he pulled out his outfit, pausing and giving himself a good once over in the mirror once it was on. He still eyed himself with disdain, unable to connect this image with his true one. His whole skin felt wrong and he had to resist poking at his cheeks again.

"Kurt! Hurry up! You'll be late!" Burt called down the stairs. Kurt bit back another sigh. Burt. His father. His phone buzzed as he looked at the text. Brittany.

Hey. How are you?

Nothing new. Still missing home. You?

Same. But, we cope. Remember, we've got a job to do.

I know. It's hard though. Any news on Aladorn today?

Not a peep. We've been trying to trace his path, but he keeps changing course at last minute and throwing us off. We can't work it out.

He might know we're following him. We'll convene tonight to discuss. Inform San?

Of course. See you at school! Xx

He signed off as well, shutting his phone down and tucking it in his jacket. Snapping his fingers, he grinned as his hair styled itself into its side style, swept over to the side a little but shining perfectly in the way he loved. At least his desire to look his best could be transferred across to this world. Even if he did try and actively avoid mirrors whenever possible. With a swift spray of his hairspray, he gave him reflection a final grimace before he pulled his schoolbag onto his shoulder and ran up the stairs. Burt looked at his son and nodded to him.

"Looking good kiddo." He commented offhandedly as Kurt moved to get a cereal bar for his breakfast.

"Thanks Dad," Even now the words didn't quite sit right on his tongue, but he persevered. It wasn't Burt's fault after all. As far as he was concerned Kurt really was his son. However, just using the word- once reserved for the most emotional of circumstances- in a casual sense left guilt swirling in Kurt's gut. Acting like the man's son wasn't exactly a walk in the park. Still, he pushed down the nauseating feeling swirling inside him, just like he'd done so many times before. "I've got to go. I'll see you later." He called out and ran out of the door. Hopping in his car he gunned the engine and pulled out, headed straight for McKinley High School. Kurt frowned. He hated that place with a passion, and not just because most of the students were homophobic idiots. It was because the only two people he really gave a damn about- well, up until last year- weren't allowed to associate with him openly.

Still, it was all in the name of a better future.

Unless he got killed.

Which could happen at the humans' hands or in the way he actually anticipated.

But then again, trying to focus on the positives.

Hopefully he wouldn't.

Hopefully.

Well, he tried.

So, with much reluctance, he pulled into the student parking lot, looking out as the students filed in for the beginning of the year. Already he could see the jocks prowling with their slushies, trying to scope out their first victims. Already he could see some heading over to a group of unsure freshman wandering around nervously, evil smiles in place as they readied themselves to toss the icy drinks. Kurt bit his lip and pulled out his phone.

Do you reckon I could use just a tiny bit magic to stop those jocks with the slushies?

Unless they're going to try and hit you with one? No.

Kurt groaned as Santana's response came through. He felt his head drop back onto his seat and grumbled internally.

I know it pisses you off, but it's a sure fire way to get us all caught, so suck it up. However, I won't object to you turning it on them if they try and get you. Just make it subtle, 'kay?

Oh, that I can do. ;)

Kurt signed off and hopped out of his car, striding across the parking lot. The moment he saw a jock headed his way, a wicked glint in his eye and a grape slushie in his hand, ready to fly, he flicked his fingers out towards the floor, the tiniest glimmer of a smile on his face when he noticed faint blue light around his fingers. It was impossible to see. Unless you were looking. The light flew to the concrete, Kurt watching as the ground raised imperceptible and the nameless jock tripped, the icy drink in his hand flying and missing Kurt by miles. The jock growled as everyone laughed at his misfortune, glaring at Kurt as if it was his fault (which it was, but no one actually knew that, or could prove it). Kurt just walked on past serenely, head held high as he cheered internally

Kurt: 1. McKinley high idiots: 0

Kurt smiled to himself, exchanging a flickering glance with Brittany and Santana- the latter gave him a thumbs up which he returned with a subtle wink- before he looked over to the French class. Its door was opened wide and he had a clear view inside: an empty room that looked like it would be unoccupied for at least a good few minutes. He let his gaze flicker between the girls and the room, making the tiniest jerk towards the door as he could with his head so they got the request. They nodded and he made a quick dart inside, hiding out in the shadow of the room. A few minutes later, they joined him. Brittany arrived first and they hugged. "I missed you!" She whispered, in his ear, nuzzling close and sighing.

"Me too. It sucks being away from you both." Kurt added just as emotionally, clinging back equally as fiercely.

"Hands off my woman, your Majesty." Santana mocked as she entered, rolling her eyes. The two grinned to themselves, their smiles widening as they felt one another's, and pulled apart to see the darker skinned girl looking at them with her hands on her hips and a twinkle in her eyes. "Now you," She pointed at Kurt. "Come gives me some loving." She demanded.

Kurt raised his eyebrow. "If that's your form of respect for royalty, I'd hate to see you being rude." He remarked dryly. They stared at each other for a minute, glaring, until Santana cracked and smirked, Kurt following suit as he smiled at her. The two shared a warm hug, before Kurt cleared his throat. "Ladies, let's get down to business. San, have you got the maps?" He asked briskly, striding to a table and clearing it as she nodded and spread out the parchment that was tucked in her bag.

"So far, there have been spikes in these areas, dates already written. Normally we'll be able to trace him, but the pattern's so strange we have no idea what they're planning." She explained, pointing to each point mentioned as she went along, Kurt silent as he poured over the maps, eyes tracing the lines drawn on it.

"Any idea Kurt?" Brittany asked hesitantly.

Kurt tilted his head. "I've got a few..."

"Well as much as I'd love to hear them, do you mind focusing on the matter at hand?" Santana quipped.

"That's your problem, not mine." Kurt shot back as Santana smirked. "He's covering ground." Kurt decided after a couple of minutes in thoughtful quiet. The two girls blinked. "Look, you were all focusing on working out his path, right? Trying to predict where he'll move next so we can ambush him?" He checked. Santana nodded, slow and a little confused. "You need to look wider." He followed the line with his fingertips. "Wherever he goes, he's going to be gaining ground, even if it's only a small amount. Now look, ignore the line itself and focus on what it surrounds."

"Ohio..." Brittany breathed. "He's trying to take Ohio."

Kurt nodded. "Base some of his troops at each point where it spikes, so anyone who tries to escape gets stuck." Kurt nodded. "He's clever." Kurt conceded, eyes roving the images on the parchment. "Look, with enough checkpoints, it's easy for them to form a strong, almost impenetrable barrier. When they attack the people won't have a clue what's going on and they'll do one of two things: They'll obey out of fear or panic and try to flee." He let his finger run out from the centre to the line. "Those who aren't killed will be repelled by the magic and Aladorn will be able to drive them right back in." He concluded, letting his finger turn back in and tapping the centre of the map to illustrate his point. "It's his own little pen. A personal stock of men for his army. Whether they want to be or not."

"Shit..." Santana growled.

Brittany looked anxious. "What do we do?

Kurt thought for a moment. "First thing, change whoever's tailing them. We've been running with the same person for several weeks. They're going to start recognising his signature if we don't change hands soon." He instructed. "Secondly..." He trailed off. From down the corridor he heard footsteps and the voice of the French teacher. "Shit. Someone's coming. I'll finish off the plan at lunch, put into motion what you can for now." He hissed quickly, the two girls nodded as they scattered to hide.

The door opened and the French teacher, Madam Auzenne, stepped inside. She frowned at one of the tables where the chairs were pushed away and went forwards, frowning. She glanced under the table, trying to spot any students hiding under there, but the space was clear. She walked around, peering about and passing Brittany where she was squashed in between the wall and the filing cabinet, barely able to breathe in her hiding place. She missed Santana, contorted and tucked away inside the filing cabinet. She scratched her head and shrugged, straightening them out herself and muttering about lazy janitors. Going over, she wrote on the white board the French date and title of the first lesson back, and Kurt fought back a groan as he realised she was setting up. He was in one of the most awkward positions and would have scoffed at the cliché if he wasn't stuck there: pressed to the ceiling right up by the door, arms and legs spread out to support him and stop himself from falling. It was like one of those movies these people seemed to like so much. However, as much as he wanted to escape, she'd shut the door behind her, so he couldn't without drawing attention to himself. Luckily, it wasn't like he was human, so the position wasn't difficult to hold, just awkward and an irritation. He rolled his eyes as she pulled out her planner and set it down, flicking through and smiling at it.

After 15 minutes of being stuck, the woman eventually walked off to get a coffee from the staff room. Kurt huffed out a quiet 'Finally!' making her pause in curiosity right in the doorway, before the teacher shook her head and continued, leaving the door ajar, something Kurt was immensely grateful for. Jumping down (and throwing in a backwards somersault for kicks) he landed.

"Show off..." Santana muttered as Brittany giggled, shaking her head. Kurt preened a little, unable to deny his friend's statement.

"We'd better get moving. She'll be back soon." Kurt warned them. "I'll go first. The students will just think I was hiding out from jocks or something." He rolled his eyes. "You guys can make out or something before leaving, no one will care or ask questions. Just, wait until I'm gone before you maul each other." He requested. Then, with a parting salute, Kurt exited into the corridor. He felt lighter than he had in months as he strolled down the corridor. He'd spent time with his closest friends, had been allowed to reveal himself (if only partially) and get in some proper exercise, no matter how meagre.

10 minutes later he was holed away in the bathroom wiping Red Dye number 7 from his eyes.

And that brought him back down to Earth again. Looking into his reflection again, he fought back another grimace at the wrongness of his appearance, taking in his rosy cheeks with a disgruntled expression whilst picking ice from his hair. "And here we go again."